The Chapters of the Chosen
by Neon Loneliness
Summary: Enter Solo: eighteen years old and forced from her peaceful mountain village into a world full of conflict, a world she has only heard about in tales. We've all entertained dreams of saving the world, but for Solo and her friends, that dream is about to become a reality - and the reality is never as fun.
1. The Peace Shatters

**Hello! This is my first fanfic, so if I seem like a bit of a newcomer, it's because I am. This imaginatively-titled fanfic is indeed an attempt at a novelisation of Dragon Quest IV. Enjoy! :3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Dragon Quest franchise.**

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_Far to the east of Endor, nestled deep in the mountains, lies a little hamlet with no name. Its inhabitants once lived in solitude, never venturing outside, never welcoming outsiders. In fact, but for the villagers themselves, the world was oblivious to the very existence of this tiny settlement. Until one day…_

"There. All done." Solo's foster mother left her post at the stove and crossed to her adoptive daughter, smiling. "Be a good child, Solo, and deliver this packed lunch to your father. He is fishing at the lake again. And don't forget your manners on the way. If you meet anyone, remember to greet them politely, just as I told you to."

Solo nodded as she took the packed lunch, but the agreement wasn't necessary – her adoptive mother had ingrained manners firmly into Solo's upbringing. Leaving the house for the tiny hamlet she called home, Solo felt her mouth water at the warmth that seeped through the packed lunch and into her hands.

It was a bright day, the weather fine and the sun at its noon zenith. Surrounding her on all sides, the village was a haven for plant life: the springy grass beneath her feet, and the vibrant patches of flowers. The nature would have been even more beautiful for an outsider… as it stood, Solo was beginning to tire of the place, lovely as it was. She was eighteen now – surely that was old enough to venture beyond the boundaries that had restricted her for so long? And yet, the guard's replies were always the same. She was never strong enough, never good enough. If they only let her stand on her own two feet, maybe she could prove them wrong!

Solo was snapped from her reverie by a cheery "Hello!" from a fellow villager. Realising how wrapped up in daydreaming she had been, she smiled and waved back at them, before setting out for the lake in the north, where his foster father was sat fishing.

"Hello, Solo. Have you brought my lunch?" She handed over the packed lunch and he set it down beside him. "Come, Solo. I want to talk to you." He patted the area beside him in invitation; she joined him, staring intently at the water as he spoke. "Now you are in your eighteenth year. You shan't be a girl much longer. Soon you shall be a woman. So, my daughter. Remember what your mother and I have taught you. Be honest and true."

A silence ensued between them, in which Solo watched the sunlight sparking off the calm, azure waters. His words rang around her head, and they held a strange permanence that scared her a little. All her life, she'd been desperate to grow up, but now it was here… being a woman didn't feel all that different.

After a couple more minutes, Solo returned to the house and was greeted by her foster mother. She sat down at the table to eat, smiling a little to herself in anticipation of the meal that awaited her.

"Quick! Quick! They're here!" The door slammed as the villager ran in, as if to punctuate his shouts. "The, the monsters have found us! They're just outside the village!"

"What?!" Solo watched the colour drain from her mother's face as if through the hazy film of a nightmare. "Solo! Run away and hide at once! Don't worry about me. Just go!" It was no nightmare.

The villager stood before her. "Follow me, Solo!"

The urgency in everyone's tones set Solo's heart to racing. As the two of them ran outside, the village was in enveloped in chaos. People shouted at them as they passed: the guard, innocent civilians… _Eliza._ She felt a sickening feeling in her heart at the thought of harm coming to her best friend. In the confusion, she only understood parts of it – but it was talk of heroes and destiny, and up until now all she'd been was Solo. Her father's message was the one that pierced the daze of it all, added a little reality to this impossible situation… _We are not your true parents._

At last, Solo reached the village storehouse and was led through a door at the back into a smaller room, just plain stone and a simple wooden crate in the corner.

"Listen well, Solo… The monsters are here to take your life, for you are their nemesis. You have a secret power. You will one day be strong enough to defeat anyone or anything. No evil will overpower you. But for now, you are still weak. You must run, and you must stay alive until you are strong enough to fulfil your destiny. So, I am giving you this. It will prove invaluable in the quest you are about to embark upon." A tome was set into her trembling hands with a puff of dust upon impact: _The Big Book of Beasts._ "Remember, Solo: just run away. Run away and make yourself strong. That is what you must do!"

The door slammed and she was left alone with her slamming heartbeat for company. She could feel shaking from the turmoil above, and it felt as if the entire planet was being shaken up. Through it all, Solo squeezed her eyes shut and took deep, quivering breaths, but nothing could drown out the destruction from above.

Numbly, she was aware of the door opening felt Eliza barrelling into her with a tight hug. "My dear Solo…" she mumbled, drawing back with tears in her eyes. "The time we've spent together has been so much fun. But now… I won't let them murder you!" Pressing a brief tearful kiss to Solo's face, Eliza cast her morph spell and when the dust cloud dispersed, Solo was staring at…

Herself.

"Remember me always, Solo…" Before Solo even had time to respond to Eliza's last words to her, her best friend was gone.


	2. Leaving Home

**Chapter 2! Hopefully the pace should pick up a little more now/within the next few chapters. Thank you so much LottiNotes for the review! c:  
**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own the Dragon Quest franchise.**

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"Lord Psaro! The hero, Solo, has been eliminated!" Solo had crawled into the corner and was pressed with her back up against the crate when she heard these words from a monster… so Eliza was dead, then.

"Excellent! You've done well." This second voice surely belonged to Psaro. "Rest assured that you'll be rewarded handsomely for this. We've nothing more to do here. We leave now!" She was the still processing the shock, but the idea that these monsters were celebrating the murder of her best friend sickened her.

Sat with her knees clasped tightly to her chest, Solo waited for five or so minutes in miserable numbness before she dared even stand. When at last she ventured from her hiding place, it was with trepidation – she expected there to be monsters around to leap out at any moment.

Her footsteps echoed, sound bouncing off the stone walls, so quiet it was eerie. The calm after the storm. And what a storm it was; her beloved hamlet, which had been standing only that morning, was now totally razed to the ground from the monsters. Everywhere she trod, Solo had to watch her step lest she slipped into a puddle of poisonous purple slime, and the broken husks of houses were still flaming – her own home included. Soon, the place she'd lived all her life would be a heap of ashes to drift lifelessly off into the wind.

She left the village, and it brought her no joy. Though Solo had been desperate for this moment to come earlier this day, she had always imagined the circumstances as being so wildly different to this. In fact, it was now, heading into the forest that surrounded her hamlet, that she realised what her father had meant… perhaps, being eighteen now, she was a woman, but the true transition from girl to woman was about adaptation. It was this transition she was embarking upon now.

The forest was easy enough to navigate and not too dense, in spite of the lack of a path. She'd never ventured this deep into the wild before, and felt an electric mix of excitement and terror flood through her. Removing her copper sword from its scabbard, Solo trekked through the woods with her blade held firmly out in front of her, both to hack away branches that blocked her way and potentially to stab at any monsters that might appear. It was strange, holding in her mind all the sword training she'd learnt and yet knowing that this wasn't a practice. Her actual life hung in the balance, and that thought alone was enough to keep her reflexes sharp and the adrenaline pumping.

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After wandering all day, through forest and mountain, Solo was exhausted. The woods hadn't been too bad, though she hadn't dared to eat any berries she stumbled across, yet the mountains proved a more difficult terrain to navigate. Along the way, she had encountered a strange blue creature, a little like a blob (her Book of Beasts informed her it was a slime), but though it was hostile, her simple copper sword dispatched it effectively. Her boots had pulled through, though she couldn't say the same of her clothes – and her hands were dirty and exhausted, trembling down to the wrists after holding her sword out in a sweaty grip for the majority of the day. On her back, her relatively empty pack seemed to weigh ten times more than it did that morning.

Just when it seemed as if Solo was entering yet another forested area to trek through, she chanced upon a small log cabin and breathed a huge sigh of relief. Whether or not whoever lived there was hostile was completely out of the question; darkness was closing in and a painful hunger had taken residence in Solo's stomach. Light emanated from the cabin, and she felt herself drawn to it as a moth is to flame. Walking into the forest would mean she would soon be plunged into the total blackness of the night… it was an easy decision to take her chances here.

With trepidation, she knocked on the cabin's door and it was yanked open within next to no time – she found herself face-to-face with the place's owner. "Who be you, lad? A trav'ller, are ya? Well, there's nothin' to see here. Just an old woodcutter's cabin."

"I… my name's Solo." As if her name would do anything to correct his use of 'lad', though maybe he could tell her voice wasn't a man's. Besides, she probably looked rather dishevelled, her simple clothes torn to ambiguous rags by the clawing forest – combined with the short length of her green hair and small breasts, she likely did have a boyish appearance.

"What ya lookin' so glum for, anyways? I hate kids, an' grumpy ones are the worst! Why don't ya just get on down the mountain and annoy someone in town instead, eh? There's a castle just south-east of here."

"At this time of night?! Are you insane?" Solo felt a surge of anger, felt her hands clench into tight fists at her sides.

He regarded her strangely for a few long moments, before finally relenting, "Tell ya what, there's some stuff in them pots through there. Take what ya want an' scram!"

She took a breath to speak, but thought better of it. After all, it was better to take what he was – begrudgingly – offering than nothing. Locating three pots in one corner of his cabin, Solo discovered in one a medicinal herb and in the other, fifty gold coins, both of which she stuffed into her bag. The herbs would help with healing, and she hadn't even considered money before now – foolishly.

Then, once again, Solo was left outside in the night. Shivering a little, she began walking back into the forest with a great deal of reluctance. One hand wavered over the hilt of her sword; she was terrified, there was no denying it, that a monster could spring from the shadows and attack any second. Paranoia heightened by the darkness, she took one last wistful look at the cabin and made up her mind. There was no way she was giving in, allowing herself to be defeated by a grumpy woodcutter.

Defiance surging through her veins, Solo re-entered. The woodcutter was at the door the second she burst through it, a scowl on his face.

"You again?! Hmph! You're not giving up, are you? Stay the night if you have to, but clear off in the morning. Understand, you little brat?"

Solo grinned broadly. "Thank you!" She didn't dare say another word, lest she lose this opportunity to sleep in a warm bed overnight.

"And I s'pose I'll have to feed you, will I? You're lucky I have some soup left over."

Whilst he ladled vegetable soup into a small wooden bowl, Solo took a seat at the table. The woodcutter set it in front of her before disappearing. Ravenously, she spooned it into her mouth with little regard for etiquette. Her adoptive mother would have despaired of her. Though the serving was small, he wasn't a half-bad chef either – and of course, the main thing was that it was still warm, and _something_ to fill the yawning hole in her stomach. If she reached the castle down to the south east by tomorrow, she would hopefully be able to feed herself a little better with the money the woodcutter had provided.

For the rest of the night, Solo didn't see the woodcutter at all, which she was somewhat thankful for. He certainly hadn't taken a liking to her, and the absence of his presence was nothing upsetting; besides, it removed any chance she had of incurring his wrath. That said, it was a short rest of the night. Fatigued from all she'd experienced, grief and realisation catching up to her intermittently, Solo had crawled straight into bed fully clothed and welcomed chaotic, indiscernible dreams of future and past.


	3. The Chosen Hero

**Okay, so I've decided to pick up this story again, and this time I'll try not to abandon it for months. A couple of notes, that I haven't really mentioned yet-**

**This is based off the DS version of DQIV, which also means I will be using the localised names for all the characters and places.**

**The world will be somewhat scaled up/more detailed, whilst (hopefully) maintaining the whole feel of Dragon Quest. Obviously it won't be to the scale of an actual medieval world, because it would be impractical to write and they'd take forever to get anywhere. That said, enjoy the chapter…**

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"Get up! Don't ya know what time it is? Go on, now. Scram!" These delightful shouts were what awoke Solo the next morning when she groggily lifted her head from the pillow.

She stumbled from bed, blinking sleepily as the events of the previous day washed over her. The memories felt almost numb, as if it had been much longer than a day since her town was destroyed and despite his less-than-friendly attitude, she was grateful to the woodcutter for giving her food and shelter. He even allowed her to take a suit of leather armour from his wardrobe that – surprisingly – fit. Solo dreaded to think what would have happened, had she been left to sleep out in the open. Sure, she had been able to fend off the things that inhabited the woods, but monsters thrived in the night; she didn't fancy her chances if a group of them cornered her while she slept.

"Thank you." She said. Stooping to retrieve her equipment, she added under her breath. "You've got a sharp tongue, but you're a kind old man."

"WHAT?! I've got a sharp tongue but I'm a kind old man?! Get out of it! You'll get a clip round the earhole for clever talk like that!"

It was a predictable response. Not wishing to overstay her welcome, Solo bid the old woodcutter goodbye and headed outside. _There's a castle just south-east of here. _Remembering his words, Solo headed out through the forest in what she hoped was a south-easterly direction. The daylight emboldened her, and she found herself travelling with much more confidence than she had been the day before. It helped that these woods seemed less isolated, less deserted. They were far closer to civilisation than the ones that surrounded her village up in the mountains.

The further she travelled south-east, the less dense the forest became, and at one point she heard the falling of hooves on the earth and the shouting of a hunting party nearby. It wasn't long after that that Solo neared the outer reaches of the forest. From here, many of the trees had been chopped to stumps for building and crafting, and the foliage steadily thinned out into stretches of grassy land.

In the near distance, she spotted a building the likes of which she had never seen before. It was a castle, constructed and fortified with stone. Turrets and spires shot up from it, pointing skywards at varying heights. This had to be the castle to the south-east that he had mentioned.

Solo started towards it at a brisk pace, the flatter, grassier landscape making it easier to find her way. As she drew nearer, the castle grew larger, until she stood outside its very walls and it swallowed her view entirely. Hesitating, she took a breath to compose herself; she was near enough a grown woman now, and she couldn't be seen staring at everything in wonder.

Inside the castle walls, there was a palpable air of excitement. The people walking its stone paths hummed with conversation – something was going on. Or was it like this all the time? This place seemed infinitely more alive than her own village.

In the thrill of everything, Solo almost forgot she had no idea where she was; she had no name to attach to this place other than 'the castle to the south east'. Turning to a soldier who stood on guard to her left, she asked, "What is this place?"

"This is Casabranca Castle," he informed her in a rehearsed monotone; he'd had to say this line many a time before, she could tell.

Heading down the path was a group of four people walking in single file like some shambolic army unit. Their leader, an armoured man carrying a sword, approached Solo.

"We're travelling the world to find the monster of all monsters and wipe him out."

"The monster of all monsters…?" Solo asked. In a lower voice, she added, "That's ambitious."

He nodded. "Do you want to join us?" Without giving her a chance to reply, the man continued, "Oops! Sorry. It looks like our party is full. You'll have to find your own group of people to travel with."

A man behind him piped up. "People are saying the chosen hero who was supposed to save the world has been killed by monsters. But there's no need to fret so much. We're going to save the world in their place."

Solo frowned, memories running through her mind… _Lord Psaro! The hero, Solo, has been eliminated!_ Surely, these people didn't mean her. On that last fateful day in her village, she had been told of a day when she would be strong enough to defeat anyone, and fulfil her destiny. But for now, she was eighteen years old, and had little other to speak of than a grasp on swordcraft … she had to find out more.

"Who…?" she trailed off. The party of adventurers were already leaving the city gates she'd just entered.

It didn't matter that she was the prophesised hero, Solo realised suddenly. These people – and calling them _people_ was a stretch – had taken everything. They'd destroyed her town, and murdered her best friend. Chosen hero or not, she would find this Lord Psaro and kill him.

In her search for answers, Solo wandered up the street and further into town, until she found herself near the main castle, in front of a flight of stairs. A guard stood there, and she half-expected him to bar her way.

As if he noticed her confusion, the man said, "His Majesty is upstairs. King Humphrey will meet with anyone, regardless of rank or class."

It was a good a lead as any.

In spite of the guard's assurance, Solo still felt nervous as she ascended the stairs and entered the throne room. Treading on the lavish carpet, she felt acutely aware of how dirty her boots must be from walking through the forest all morning. Directly in front of her, a balding man in purple robes paced up and down – and behind him, flanked by twin braziers, were two exquisite red-and-gold thrones. Tentatively, Solo approached the one on her left where the king sat, wondering if she should curtsey.

She had only taken a couple of small steps when King Humphrey boomed out, "Welcome to my castle, aspiring hero! No doubt you're another one out to save the world."

"My name is Solo," she told him, aware of how small her voice sounded next to his rich baritone.

"You're Solo?" That's a nice strong name. Now, let me tell you what's required of you. It's imperative that the Lord of the Underworld is prevented from reawakening. So I'd like you to travel the world to collect as much information as you can about him. You're going to be playing an important part in stopping this tyrant, Solo. I'm counting on you!"

He said all of this with hardly a pause, yet Solo had listened. His little regard for her background or who she was told her he gave this speech to everyone who came to his castle, and yet he said it with enough feeling to inspire passion in the young hopefuls who came before him wishing to be heroes.

Solo bowed her head in a nod. "I will find information about this Lord of the Underworld."

She left the throne room having found out no more about this mysterious threat to the world, but she left with a purpose. It would be no good to stay in Casabranca any longer than she had to, especially if travelling the world was the way to go about fulfilling her supposed destiny.

At the foot of the staircase, having been so deep in thought, Solo was caught unawares by the young dancing woman as she barrelled into her.

"Sorry!" The girl yelped, dusting herself off as she stood back from Solo. "We're copying the style of that famous dancing girl in Endor, you see. She's got a sister, you know. Yes, and apparently they're travelling the world to find some hero or other."

So that meant they were looking for her. Solo didn't know what a pair of dancers wanted with a hero, but she was going to need all the help she could get. After all, there was no way in a thousand years she could bring down the Lord of the Underworld himself, if that was her destiny. "Where is this Endor?" She asked.

The dancing girl grinned. "It's to the west of here! Are you going to copy her dance style, too?"

Solo shrugged. "I'm not much of a dancer," she admitted. In truth, she'd never really danced in her life, though Eliza had tried to make her sometimes.

Trying to push away the memories of Eliza, she said goodbye to the dancers and headed out to the rest of the town, looking to spend the gold coins the old woodcutter had let her take. There was a shop selling weapons and armour, but she decided her copper sword and leather would be enough until she could afford better equipment. Instead, realising she was hungry, Solo bought some kind of slime meat pie from a street vendor and ate as she wandered around. Its taste wasn't like anything she was used to, but it was good – she could get used to eating unfamiliar food if it all tasted like this. The people of Casabranca seemed friendly, and a few mentioned Endor. A couple of men in particular spoke of a man named Torneko, and a tunnel he had built that connected this kingdom to Endor's.

All in all, Casabranca was a pleasant place, but once the novelty of her first castle wore off, Solo grew restless. It was still around early afternoon, and she wanted to make tracks for Endor before it grew dark. Besides, she wanted to _see _this town – now she'd had a taste of what it was like, she couldn't suppress her curiosity about this whole other world that was hers to explore.


End file.
